By Vibrant Communities Co-Chairs, Dallas Bergl and Gina Leichty
Great things are happening in Elkhart County. Have you noticed lately?
Every month — and even more frequently in the summers — we run into many of you at the wonderful festivals that dot our calendar. Just a couple weeks ago, we watched ice carvers practice their art in Goshen. Later this year, we’ll gather together for pancakes and sausage in Wakarusa, a bike ride on the Pumpkinvine, or to admire the flowers at the Wellfield gardens in Elkhart.
When you go for a walk, you might run into your neighbor or meet new friends at any of our beautiful parks and trails.
When you need a helping hand, you know that dedicated and generous volunteers from Nappanee to Middlebury will be there for you. That was never more true than after the Palm Sunday tornadoes ripped through the area in 1965 or the more recent Nappanee tornadoes in 2007.
Our home has been known for many things over the years.
Before they were famous, we cheered on accomplished athletes such as Rick Mirer, Lindsay Benko and Shawn Kemp. Then folks from Notre Dame to Sydney, Australia, to Seattle learned what we already knew about how special they are.
Our chests swelled with pride when people across the world lauded the fine musical instruments that came from our factories, or when Speedy Alka-Seltzer made “plop, plop, fizz, fizz” a national catchphrase.
More recently, we celebrated as our motorhomes and travel trailers rolled off our factory floors and onto campgrounds across the country and the world. The RV industry is a central part of life here in Elkhart County. It’s part of our culture and we wear the label of RV Capital of the World with pride.
Our native sons and daughters have grown up in our neighborhoods and become leaders in government, commerce, the arts and science. Many of them achieved their dreams here, at home, but too many established roots in far-away places. We see them when they come back to Elkhart County to visit. They tell us that they miss the friendliness and comforts of the place where they grew up. But sadly, they acknowledge, the opportunities that helped them to flourish elsewhere were not present in Elkhart County.
That’s one of the reasons the Vibrant Communities initiative is so important.
The modern global economy is fiercely competitive, but it also represents an opportunity. Technology and a culture that nurtures innovation enable fantastic game-changing ideas to flower anywhere in the world.
We’re starting to see that in the greater Elkhart County region, where opportunistic entrepreneurs are starting businesses that previous generations could scarcely imagine. Growing businesses, whether in established industries such as recreational vehicles or in developing areas, need great employees to grow, evolve and thrive.
As history has taught us, economic cycles can hurt. But the pain is lessened by a strong, diversified economy. How do we move toward that future?
With your help, Vibrant Communities will build upon the strong foundation we have. We kick off this important initiative from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26, at the Crystal Ballroom in Elkhart. Our keynote speaker, Peter Kageyama, writes about the importance of cities and how to make them even better places to live and work. His book, “For the Love of Cities,” is inspiring, just as we expect his talk to be.
Around 200 from all over Elkhart County have RSVP’d for the kickoff and there’s room for even more of you.
The Vibrant Communities process will be at its best with input from all corners of Elkhart County. Following the Jan. 26 kickoff, there will be community meetings in every city and town in late February or early March. This will be when the real work starts.
At these meetings, and on our website, VibrantElkhartCounty.org, you’ll be able tell us about what you love about Elkhart County, whether it’s the arts scene or the parks or your neighborhood. Just as importantly, we want to know what you’d like to see in the future.
By talking about what we love about our hometowns and envisioning how we would make it better, we’ll create a place that is even more lovable. The next great idea dreamed up by our best and brightest will grow right here in our hometowns.
In recent weeks, you may have heard of the Regional Cities grant that will be shared among Elkhart, St. Joseph and Marshall counties. This is a critical time for the future of our region. With that booster shot from the Regional Cities initiative, our communities are poised to build on the momentum that is gaining steam here.
Great things are happening in Elkhart County. Won’t you join us?
Dallas Bergl, CEO of INOVA Federal Credit Union and a member of the Regional Development Authority, and Gina Leichty, owner of Eyedart Creative Studio, are co-chairs of Vibrant Communities. Learn more at VibrantElkhartCounty.org.
